Paul Lynch

“I’m going to get the kayak,” said one brave villager as flood waters covered his family home in Northamptonshire, before he proceeded to rescue stranded neighbours.

Many people have praised the actions of Dr Matthew Wyse who took to his canoe during the flooding in Yelvertoft on Wedneday, ferrying people stuck in their homes to dry land.

Dr Matthew Wyse at his flood damaged home in Yelvertoft. The air medic took to his canoe to rescue stranded villagers on Wednesday.

But Dr Wyse, a trauma specialist who is a crew member of the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, said he was initially just taking his wife and daughter to safety as waters covered their courtyard.

He said: “My main priority was to get Katie (his wife) and Lara (his daughter) to safety.

“But then it became clear there was a lot of people stranded.

“There was a fire officer at one end of the village who needed to get to the other side. There was a PCSO who needed to get across so he could control traffic.